Ask the Experts: My cat keeps chewing on my hair when I sit down. He’ll even get on the back of the couch and chew guests’ hair, which is embarrassing. Why is he doing this and how do I make him stop?

The Contemporary Pet says, “Many cats chew on their humans’ hair because they are “grooming” them or marking them as their own. It’s not as unusual as you would think and can be a soothing or calming habit for them. However, if you don’t like them doing this, the habit can be stopped or redirected – Kristen White explains how:

“Cats will often perform undesirable behaviors because of the response they get when they do it. If you pay attention to your cat when he chews on your hair (or guests’ hair) then you may be inadvertently reinforcing the behavior. Animals will take negative attention over no attention at all, so even if the cat is scolded for chewing hair, he may see that as attention and continue to do it. The best way to stop the behavior is to ignore it or redirect him to something he is allowed to chew on. Ignoring it can be difficult – that would mean that if he is on the back of the couch you would have to move off the couch each time. You will stand up when he does it and then sit back down after a few seconds. If he starts again you would repeat standing up. Do all of this without saying anything to him.

You could also redirect him to a toy. Food puzzles are great for holding attention. You can do a simple search on the internet for cat food puzzles. If neither of those options work and he is particularly persistent then you can put him in another room for a time out of sorts for about 20-30 minutes each time. The key to whichever one you decide to try is to be consistent. If you slip up and pay attention to it even once the behavior will likely continue. Also keep in mind that knowing how long he has been doing this will help you determine how long it will take for him to stop, so don’t get frustrated if it takes a while.”